If David Falk were 6-foot-9, he might be playing on ESPN twice a week for a major-conference team. He might be on Chad Ford\u2019s list of NBA draft prospects or seeing his name on All-American watch lists.<\/p>\n
But he never grew those last 4 inches. At 6-5, the junior center is making waves at the Division III level for Eastern Mennonite University, an ideal school for an undersized center with freakish athleticism.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe kind of slipped through the cracks because he\u2019s a little undersized and he was a 5 [a center],\u201d EMU coach Kirby Dean said. \u201cHe wasn\u2019t a 4 or a 3 \u2014 he\u2019s a 5. He\u2019s really the perfect post player for our level because he\u2019s 6-5 and he just happens to be a freak athlete.\u201d<\/p>\n
With three regular-season games remaining, Falk leads the Old Dominion Athletic Conference in rebounding with 13.6 per game, 3.6 more than the next-highest rebounder. His 14.3 points per game ranks 11th in the conference and he\u2019s also tops in in blocked shots with three per game.<\/p>\n
He fits perfectly in Dean\u2019s get-out-and-go up-tempo brand of basketball. A bigger, lumbering center would drag the Royals down, but not Falk.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a better player here than he\u2019d be at any Division III in the country because it takes advantage of every single thing that he has and it minimizes any deficiencies that he has,\u201d Dean said.<\/p>\n
A native of Madison, Falk drew plenty of D3 interest (and a Division I offer from Navy) after an impressive high school career for the Mountaineers. But he wanted to test himself against better competition and opted for a post-grad year at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, a opportunity he got after impressing coaches at a tryout.<\/p>\n
To say the least, Dean was disappointed by Falk\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe just rips the heart out of my chest,\u201d said Dean, who recruited Falk during basketball season and attended most of his baseball games in the spring.<\/p>\n
At Hargrave, Falk said he clashed with the military lifestyle and lost some spark for basketball.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hated it the whole time I was there; it wasn\u2019t fun, but I got a lot better,\u201d Falk said. \u201cIt kind of took a toll on my body and it was just too much for me. It took the fun out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Falk played about nine minutes a game while at Hargrave, backing up future Atlantic Coast Conference players like Maryland\u2019s Dez Wells, North Carolina\u2019s P.J. Hairston and a trio of players who went to Virginia Tech.<\/p>\n
With the limited minutes and unhappy atmosphere, Falk did not receive the high-major interest he anticipated. His basketball fortunes improved when he reconnected with Dean at a Madison County game over winter break. Dean was on his way back to Harrisonburg after a recruiting trip in Richmond, and because Madison is not that far out of the way, he took a chance and attended the game, thinking Falk might be in attendance.<\/p>\n
He was. The rest is history.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe spent 20 minutes talking that night, and that\u2019s what did it, that\u2019s what sealed it,\u201d Dean said. \u201cI think to that point he really had this dream to play Division I, which is a well-founded dream.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just think that that night he had had a dose of Hargrave and it wasn\u2019t what he thought it would be. He wasn\u2019t having fun and he wasn\u2019t playing a lot and the light bulb kind of went on in his head. And here this nut is showing up with just some chance that I might be in the crowd, maybe I should go play for this guy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shortly after Falk committed to EMU, two low-level D1 schools entered the picture: Virginia Military Institute offered him a scholarship and Radford showed interest.<\/p>\n
But it was too late. Dean had his center and Falk was going to EMU, where the real work began. Despite growing up on a beef farm, Falk never had the classic \u201cfarm boy\u201d look. He arrived at Eastern Mennonite weighing only 180 pounds and lacked the lower-body strength to battle with bigger centers.<\/p>\n
So he got in the weight room and bulked up to his current 220 pounds while biding his time behind starter Owen Longacre.<\/p>\n
\u201cI split time with Owen and just worked on my game a lot in terms of back-to-the-basket scoring and weight room,\u201d Falk said. \u201cI knew I would get my chance eventually when Owen graduated for me to play big minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, Falk and junior transfer Marcel Crump are combining to form one of the best frontcourts in the ODAC. In their 73-68 win over first-place Randolph-Macon on Tuesday, EMU (12-10 overall, 7-6 in the ODAC) went toe-to-toe with the Yellow Jackets in part because of Falk (21 points, 19 rebounds) and Crump (15 points).<\/p>\n
It was Falk\u2019s 14th double-double of the season, an eye-opening performance for those still doubting his stature.<\/p>\n
\u201cI bet he had four or five dunks and a bunch of layups,\u201d Dean said. \u201cHe was just hanging around the rim. I always encourage him to think like Dennis Rodman to a certain extent. I don\u2019t want him to color his hair or start dating Madonna or anything\u2026 but he was just all over the place. He was a man possessed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe still has time to be as dominant of a big man as I\u2019ve seen in this league.\u201d<\/p>\n